Michael Nichols | Leadership Made Simple

Leadership Made Simple

Michael Nichols

To have close friends, be a friend

The majority of leaders – nearly two-thirds – do not have ANY close friends. This is an alarming statistic. In fact, the advent of social media has so profoundly impacted the culture and meaning of friendship that the concept now has less value and significance than acquaintances of the past.

Photo Credit: Michael Maher

To be totally transparent, about a year ago I realized that I did not have any really close friends. There were individuals that I spoke to occasionally or with whom my wife and I would join for dinner – yet these relationships were often superficial for me. Read More

If you’re not mentoring you’re not leading

You are not leading if you are not mentoring and developing new leaders. Simply developing followers who flesh out your ideas and implement your vision won’t cut it.

Having followers is not the defining characteristic of leadership. At its very core, leadership facilitates change. After all, if you are not leading people and teams toward change, what are you leading them to do? To be?

Change is not easy. It’s difficult – not for the faint of heart. And developing people – new leaders – adds more complexity to the mix.

To develop new leaders, you must be willing to invest in people – to mentor them. And mentoring will require more of your time and your resources than you ever thought possible.

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The Secret for Managing Email More Efficiently

Years ago, I made some significant changes to how I handle hundreds of email messages each day. These changes dramatically decreased the amount of time I spent processing email. You can read about my experience here.

Then I heard Mark Miller speak about how he had learned to manage his email with maximum efficiency and effectiveness. He had learned a secret that I had not considered.

This post is part of the series – Get Your Life Back!
Take Control of Your Schedule
4 Tips for Managing Your Calendar More Effectively
Plan Your Year with Your Annual Plan
Create Your Best Week
You Can Keep Up With Your Email
The Secret for Managing Email More Efficiently

Mark’s secret for managing email was…

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Do you need to back up?

Several years ago a mentor of mine cautioned me – “You’re often way ahead of people in your thinking. You should consider slowing down a little.”

Looking back on his advice, I’ve learned that it’s not only important to slow down, but sometimes we need to back up.

Let’s face it – we struggle with slowing down or backing up because it’s humbling. It sheds light on the fact that maybe we didn’t plan adequately. Maybe we didn’t communicate effectively. Or maybe we didn’t execute appropriately.

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Why did you walk away?

Why walk away from a college degree? Or a job. A diet. That book you were reading. Your workout. New Year’s resolutions. A business plan. Your life plan. A relationship. Attending church. Getting out of debt. Quitting smoking.

You were doing great – then you weren’t. What happened?!

What causes us to give up on our goals? Why do we so readily abandon our dreams? How can we just walk away?

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